Considers some of the reasons for, and the advantages of, the movement towards school consolidation that has led to the disappearance of some 73,000 school districts in the last 25 years. (WM)

Describes the substantive changes made by Superintendent John Stanford in the Seattle public school system over the last two years. (LMI)

Outlines eight ways in which the management of schools is different from the management of private businesses. (IRT)

The zero-based curriculum model can help school boards and administrators make decisions about what to keep and what to cut. All instructional programs are ranked and judged in categories ranging from required to optional. (MLF)

A state takeover of a troubled school system is a drastic intervention but one that can bring about broad-based reform. After the state of New Jersey began operating the Paterson School District, the new leadership prepared a detailed plan for reform and assessed schools' effectiveness. A sidebar points out that 20 states have provisions that…

Reports on a national survey that gives a portrait of the American school superintendent -- the kind of education he brings to the job today, the experience he has had, the salary he is earning, and the obstacles he sees to the performance of his duties. (Author)

Presents several ways to improve school district Web sites to enhance marketing efforts. Describes the development of a Web site for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina. (PKP)

Two small school districts (one K-12, the other 9-12) reorganized their high school programs so they operate as a single entity and without closing either site. One site serves as an English and humanities center, the other as a mathematics and science center. Collaboration has improved the academic program and cut expenses. (MLF)

The former state-appointed superintendent of the Paterson District in New Jersey states that, according to law, in the fifth year after a takeover, anyone may run for any vacant seat on the board. Argues that the state should have some type of permanent oversight responsibility when the district is returned to local control. A sidebar reflects a…

Last year the superintendent of the Woodford county schools shared the district's goal-setting process with readers; this year a report on the district's accomplishments is presented. (IRT)

In a recent series of decisions, the Supreme Court has set the standard for returning control of vital school affairs to local school officials. Discusses the legal bases school officials and their legal counsel might use in showing that their school district has attained so-called unitary status, the condition for lifting federal desegregation…

One way to address the issues involved in seeking partial or complete unitary status is for school districts to conduct a unitary-status study of the district's progress on student performance, discipline, special-education placement, and principal and teacher assignment by race, as well as data on any other areas cited in the court's liability…

The author provides eight pointers on how the smallness of a community can be used to work for administrators and board members. (IRT)